Paper Moon
by fuschiaQUILL
Summary: Legend has it that, every year on the eve of Luna's first frost, the Lady of the Lune will come by any unmarked home and grant the residents one of their deepest, darkest wishes. kurofai


**Title:** Paper Moon

**Author**: Misterwalnut

**Recipient**: angelogdarknes

**Series**: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles

**Pairing**: Kuro/Fai

**Rating**: PG-13

**Summary**: Legend has it that, every year on the eve of _Luna_'s first frost, the Lady of the Lune will come by any unmarked home and grant the residents one of their deepest, darkest wishes. Sort of pre-slash.

**A/N**: Yes, I'm well aware that this is blatant song!fic, but in my defense: it's three in the morning, I'm blasting [insert song name on my iPod, and I don't even have the energy to be ashamed anymore. So - uh, go ahead and enjoy.

"Impressive, isn't it?" One of the locals whistled, openly admiring the shrine with unabashed wonder.

The tour guide nodded, obviously pleased with the hint of reverence in the man's voice. "The Lady of the Lune was carved in 60-karat gold marble, complete with a beautiful inscription on its pedestal," He said pompously. "It's a sweet, shining -" _and lavishly fake_, Kurogane sneered, "- dedication to the beautiful figurehead who led _Luna_ to world independence.

"What bullshit," Kurogane mumbled under his breath, his lip curling in the fashion of a Nihon soldier whose loyalty to his country knew no bounds. "The ones from my hometown are much better," He whispered to a tourist beside him, struggling to keep the pride out of his voice. Obviously he didn't put up much of a struggle, though, since Fai glanced over and smirked.

_Referring to princess Tomoyo, Kuro-chan?_ Fai's smirk seemed to say, and Kurogane had to admit – Fai was extremely talented in the sense that he could infuriate anyone, anywhere, at anytime without doing so much as cocking an eyebrow.

_None of your damn business, _he shot back with a dark, intimidating look. Although judging by how Fai's smirk seemed to be growing wider with each passing second, Kurogane suspected the intimidation fell through.

Fai confirmed his suspicions with a cheerful smile that could've either been interpreted as further mangling of his name (see: "Kuro-pie, Kuro-grub, Kuro-wamma"), or a proud declaration of _I eat babies for breakfast_. Knowing Fai, both options were equally promising.

"Gather 'round, everyone, it's time for a little bedtime story." The tour guide had an eager look on his face, and Kurogane wondered if this would be the best part of the tour.

"There are many myths and stories regarding the Lady of the Lune, but the most famous one is the _Wishing Eve_," He said. Heads perked up; people started becoming interested. "Legend has it that, every year on the eve of Luna's first frost – that means first snowfall, for all our visitors with a limited vocabulary – the Lady of the Lune will come by any home unmarked with red ink and grant the resident one of their deepest, darkest wishes."

"Does the resident have a choice in which wish gets fulfilled?" A short, stout man asked.

"No, but don't worry; the lady will only grant wishes you sincerely, maybe even subconsciously, desire. However, as with all things in life, there's a price to pay for the fulfilling of your wish."

Kurogane and Fai shared a mutual look of apprehension, then skepticism, then relief. They both knew there was no way in hell the Lady of the Lune could be Yuuko.

"This story sounds a little familiar," Fai smiled cryptically.

The tour guide stared at Fai as if he'd insulted his mother. "W-what preposterous commentary! Are you insane, man? I'll have you know, the Lady of the Lune is one-hundred-percent original! As is the legend of the Wishing Eve! As is the history of Luna!"

"I'm sure," Fai agreed casually in a tone that just seemed to set the man off even more. "Your Lady must've been quite the warrior," _for all of you to spend an unnecessary amount of time carving her statue instead of upping your country's defenses_ was unsaid, but acknowledged.

"Exactly _what_ are you saying? Are you insinuating that the Lady might've risked her great and powerful beauty to step into battle? Are you implying that the beautiful tribute built for our Lady was a waste? Are you utterly out of your mind?"

Kurogane watched with narrowed eyes as the tour guide took several long strides towards Fai – until they were almost chest-to-chest – and leaned down to whisper something visibly menacing in the mage's ear.

He instantly rushed over, thrust the tour guide away from Fai and stepped in between them like some sort of shield. "Keep away from him," He advised calmly, although it sounded more like a growl to his ears than a suggestion.

Apparently not a complete idiot, the man moved away quickly and returned to humouring the other tourists, occasionally shooting either Fai or Kurogane (he really couldn't tell) glances of infinite hatred. After awhile, he lost interest, too engrossed in the curious admiration of the foreigners to care.

When Kurogane had his eye back on Fai, he was slightly startled by the sly smile on the man's otherwise amused face. "Something funny?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, not at all," Came the faux-innocent reply, which, by the way, wasn't even a smidge convincing – especially not when Fai subtly pouted his bottom lip in an effort to look angelic, which only drew more attention to his soft, kissable- "Just contemplating the many ways I can thank my _hero_ for protecting my sought-after virtue."

Kurogane had a second to decide between stuttering indignantly and denying everything, and went with a combination of both. "W-What? I wasn't protecting your 'virtue', you stupid idiot mage, don'teverusethatwordagain, and – dammit, if you would just stop irritating everyone we come across, maybe I wouldn't have to –" And at this point he decided to screw his mouth shut, because Fai's expression was still shrewdly amused and it wasn't doing one bit of good for the rising blush on his cheeks.

Take a deep breath, Kurogane. Deep breath. And Fai was still standing there; looking amused, damn him to hell.

Of course, now that he thought about it, it really was a bit arrogant of him to step into Fai's affairs – the mage was entirely capable of holding his own in a battle, and would not hesitate to defend himself – but there was just a smidge of...possessive impulse when he stepped in, and as reluctant as he was to admit it, he had acted on a whim.

"That," Kurogane enunciated each word sharply, "Must never be mentioned again."

Fai grinned cheerfully and nodded in agreement, a clear indication that he probably won't forget this anytime in the near future. In fact, Kurogane contemplated grimly, he probably already started plotting – what, exactly? To send a Thank You For Defending My 'Virtue' When I Really Could've Handled It On My Own card? Beat him senseless for assuming he had the right to step in? Express his heartfelt gratitude in the medium of sexual favours?

Kurogane blanched, willing his mind to shut the hell up, and looked over at the mage to see if his face had revealed anything.

Fai was staring right back, looking annoyingly cheerful as ever, and seemed to be oblivious to Kurogane's obvious inner turmoil.

To be honest, he felt a tad helpless, just like back when Tomoyo practically shooed him out of Nihon – but this time there was also a sliver of thrill amongst all the vulnerability, a feeling in the pit of his stomach that could almost pass for anticipation.

Clearly, Kurogane was going insane.


End file.
